Page 62 of Her Favourite Daughter

Their Majesties and Highnesses stood and filed out of the room via a door a royal guard had opened in the wall behind where the royals had been seated. With the King, Queen, and some of their children gone, the doors they had entered through were opened, and the whole of the party made their way out of the receiving room. A major domo led them back to the courtyard where their coaches awaited them.

As hard as it had been to hold her peace until now, as soon as the carriage pulled away, Bethany looked around the cabin at Mother, Mamma, and Papa. “How would Her Majesty know what I said about those hooped…gowns?”

“If the army had as many sources and spies as Her Majesty, then the war with that Corsican tyrant would have been over soon after it began,” Lady Amelia responded with a smile. “Bethie, I can assure you that none of us repeated what you said. Your words must have been overheard by the wrong person. Do not forget, daughter of mine, that you shared your opinion in Gunter’s one day after shopping.”

“Urgh! Of course, I was overheard, thanks to all of the attention on me,” Bethany realised. She turned to Papa. “How does it feel to be a baron, and Mamma; you are a baroness?”

“Wholly unexpected and not something I ever desired, but it is what it is now,” Meryton said philosophically.

“Robert Darcy was one who never sought a title. Had it not been for my father’s untimely passing, he would not have been forced to assume the earldom[11],” Lady Amelia revealed. “At least when you take your seat in the Lords, you will not be alone, depending on what party you align with, of course.”

“I think my philosophy would suit the Whigs,” Meryton surmised.

“Good. That is the party both Reggie and Robert support. The same is true for the Earl of Jersey and the Dukes of Bedford and Hertfordshire,” Lady Amelia related.

Fanny shook her head. “Having Lizzy with us was, is, a pleasure. As Thomas said, we did nothing with an eye to possible reward. Now I have to get used to being addressed as Lady Frances.”

“Fanny, you are free to tell people who use your title to call you ‘Lady Fanny’ if that is what you prefer,” Lady Amelia informed her friend. “I was careful to advise Their Majesties that you never did anything for Bethie with an eye to some sort of future reward, which I am sure was an impetus to His Majesty making Thomas a peer of the realm.”

“Mother, Mamma, and Papa, I must share an epiphany I had this morning, which I suppose is academic now that His Majesty said my name as Lady Bethany. I realised that I cannot shy away from my duty and responsibility by hiding behind the name Lizzy Bennet. I decided that part of accepting the mantle of all of my duties was reclaiming the name the criminals stole from me all those years ago. As much as I would wish myself to be just Lizzy Bennet, that is not who I am. There are so many whose lives are tied to the decisions I will make that I have to be serious about my duties.” Bethany looked at Mamma and Papa. “No, that changes nothing with the connection between us, and His Majesty acknowledged that fact by appointing you, Papa, my guardian until I turn one and twenty.”

“Are you saying that we are all to call you Bethany or Bethie now?” Fanny verified.

“Except for when we are in private, yes, Mamma,” Bethany confirmed. “I will always be your Lizzy, but in accepting that I am Bethany, I am acknowledging the many duties and responsibilities that will be heaped on my young shoulders.”

“Do not forget that aside from me as your guardian, you have your Uncle Reggie and Uncle Robert as trustees, so you will not be alone in any of this. We and others will be available to help and advise you. Further, Hilldale, Fitzwilliam, and Conyers are all experienced and will assist you if you request it of them. Of course, your mother will be with you every step of the way as you learn your new duties,” Meryton said to assure his Lizzy. She may be Lady Bethany, a duchess, but she would always be his Lizzy.

“With all of the support, I am sure my tasks will not be so very daunting,” Bethany owned.

“There is my daughter who does not allow anything to intimidate her,” Fanny added. “How soon will we return to Longbourn, my Lord? Since we arrived from Yorkshire, I have not been away from our home for this length of time.” She saw her daughter’s hurt look. “Lizzy…Bethie, dear. That will take some getting used to. As the mistress of a large estate, like you do, I have duties as well to which I must return,” she clarified.

“I was told I needed to wait for the patents. It will be a few days. Also, the Lord Chamberlain mentioned a house in London as part of my title. I was going to protest, because it is not needed, but like with my being made the Baron of Meryton, no protest would be appreciated by the Crown.”

“And Mamma, when we are in private, like we are now, Lizzy is a more than acceptable form of address for me,” Bethany assured her mamma.

Fanny took her second daughter’s hand and squeezed it reassuringly. “You see, Papa and I, and do not forget your brother and sisters, will be with you in London for some days longer. Jane and Charlotte will remain with you for the foreseeable future, will they not?”

“For as long as they desire to stay,” Bethany responded. She got an impish smile on her face. “I would wager that as long as the Fitzwilliam brothers remain in the area, they will be happy to remain, regardless of London’s heat.”

“Speaking of the heat, once all of the details are sorted out, we will be for Hornby Castle. On the way, I would like to stop at Kiveton Park so you are able to see the estate where you were born and lived until you were stolen away from us,” Lady Amelia revealed. “Fanny and Thomas, you know it goes without saying that you are welcome at the estate we are at any time you desire to see Bethie. Seeing that the Fitzwilliams and Darcys will be travelling north with us, I have a feeling you will be fielding a request from Kitty, and possibly Mary, to join the Darcys when they depart London.”

Meryton looked at Fanny, who nodded. “If either or both of the girls are invited, and they desire to go, they will have our permission,” he stated with his wife’s agreement. “Seeing that Jane will be with you, it will only leave James at home. He needs to be at Cambridge a few days before the tenth day of October when the Michaelmas term will begin.”

“If you are able to spare James, and he wants to come spend some time at Hornby Castle, he is more than welcome,” Bethany insisted. She paused as she cogitated. “Papa, what about Jupiter? Will she remain at Longbourn or with me?”

“She was a gift from us to you, so wherever you go, that is where she belongs,” Meryton assured his second daughter.

Bethany relaxed considerably. She would have hated to be parted from her mare. She was pleased that she did not have to insult Mamma and Papa and ask if she could purchase Jupiter from them. “Please say you will come to Hornby Castle, especially if all us children will be there,” she begged.

Fanny looked at her husband, who nodded. “Once Papa and I make sure everything is as it should be at Longbourn, and we receive the calls once the notice of our elevation has shocked our friends, we will come to you,” Fanny promised.

The arms Fanny loved to feel about her now wrapped around her torso.

“Thank you, Mamma and Papa!” Bethany exclaimed. “I hear that there may be enough chambers at the castle to accommodate all of you.”

“Yes, Bethie, there are just a few suites at the castle,” Lady Amelia responded with a wide smile. The thought of Bethie at the estates that, until a few weeks ago, Amelia had been concerned she would never see, made her warm all over. “Some of those who were employed at Kiveton Park when you were taken are still there. They will be extremely happy to see you back at the estate of your birth. Francis, your father, wanted to have the house demolished to remove any memory of what happened there, but that is something we can decide in the future. Besides, the reason for his wanting to do that is no longer valid. You are back with us.”

The carriage ride had been very short, but Biggs and Johns had not opened the doors when they had noticed that those within were deep in conversation. They both cleared their throats when they judged those within had completed their discussion.